A WARM SALAD OF ROASTED PUMPKIN, PROSCIUTTO AND CHESTNUTS

A simple but hearty salad using traditional Christmas ingredients. Most of the components can be prepared the day before. Once the pumpkin has been roasted, you can put it in the fridge and just re-heat it in an oven the same way as you cooked it but for less time – 5 minutes.

SERVES 4
small pumpkin or butternut squash 1, peeled and cut into good-sized chunks
olive oil
fresh chestnuts 12, roasted and peeled, then cut into thirds
prosciutto crudo – San Daniele or Parma ham 8 slices
rocket large handful
fresh thyme a couple of sprigs, the leaves picked off
vinaigrette 1 part lemon, 3 parts olive oil

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place the pumpkin pieces on to a roasting tray and lightly oil and season, then put in the oven and roast until caramelised, about 20 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the cooked chestnuts to the tray to warm through. You can then remove the tray from the oven while you finish the rest of the dish – the pumpkin and chestnuts will keep warm on the tray for 10 minutes.

Take a large mixing bowl and add the warm pumpkin, chestnuts, prosciutto and rocket. Add thyme to the vinaigrette, taste it, and make sure there is a good balance. Pour the vinaigrette over the pumpkin and chestnuts and mix in with your hands. Season with salt and pepper.

Pile on to individual plates or serve on a large platter. A few shavings of parmesan would be a welcome addition.

TAGLIERINI WITH PORCINI

Pasta is a great dish to have on Christmas Day and this recipe sits beautifully between the starter and the main. Having this middle course extends the all-important Christmas meal. This pasta dish is often a standby during the rather erratic truffle season (October to January). When fresh porcini are not available, use any other type of mushroom, avoiding button mushrooms – a mix of oyster and portobello/field work well. The pasta used here is a very fine fresh egg pasta – use tagliatelle if you can’t find it.

SERVES 4-6
unsalted butter 100g
olive oil
cloves of garlic 2, finely chopped
porcini or other mushrooms 300g
lemon zest of ½
grated parmesan cheese a handful
fresh egg taglierini pasta or tagliatelle 500g
flat leaf parsley a handful, chopped

Melt the butter slowly in a large flat frying pan with a small amount of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and gently cook without it colouring.

Raise the heat and add the mushrooms, keep them moving, stirring all the time. Once they have softened add the lemon zest and the grated parmesan. You can then lower the heat to a minimum.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water next to the mushroom pan until almost cooked but still firm.

Once cooked, remove the pasta from the water with tongs and add to the mushrooms – leave the water pot there as you will need to use a few ladlefuls of water later for loosening the sauce.

Raise the heat to maximum and stir to combine. Add a ladleful of the pasta water and turn the pasta over in the sauce, the idea being that the final stage of the cooking is done in the frying pan, the pasta sucking up all the mushroom juices.

Once nearly all the liquid has been incorporated but there is still a little moisture at the base of the pan, add the parsley and turn over. Serve with more grated parmesan cheese.

PHEASANT WITH RED WINE

This dish is a really good alternative to turkey at Christmas and can be prepared the day before. Like the pasta, it can be served in the centre of the table for people to help themselves. This is often served with polenta to absorb the sauce. Get your butcher to joint the pheasants.
 
 
SERVES 4-6
pheasants 2, jointed 
unsalted butter 50g
olive oil 4 tbsp
cloves of garlic 6, chopped
anchovy fillets in oil 6, chopped 
pancetta 100g, diced
celery sticks 2, chopped
carrots 2, chopped
onions 2, chopped
bay leaves 4
rosemary, thyme, sage sprig of each
tomato purée 2 tbsp
bottle of full bodied red wine 1
hot chicken stock (or fresh chicken stock from a supermarket) 2 litres

In a large cooking pot, add the butter, oil, garlic and anchovy fillets, and gently fry. Then add the pancetta and raise the heat and fry for a few minutes taking care not to burn the garlic. Then add the vegetables and the herbs, raise the heat and cook for a few minutes, then lower the heat, add a pinch of salt and sweat down for about 20 minutes – they need to be very soft.

While this is cooking, brown the pheasants in a separate pan in olive oil until a golden colour.

Once the vegetables are soft, add the tomato purée and raise the heat to “cook out” the raw flavour of the paste, this should take about 3-4 minutes, then add the red wine and boil for 5 minutes, lowering the heat while you prepare the roasting tray.

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Place the browned pheasant in the roasting tray, then add the vegetable and wine mix. Pour over the hot chicken stock until almost covering the pheasant. Cover with baking parchment, then place on top a layer of tin foil tightly wrapped around the edges.

Place in the oven for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 140C/gas mark 1 for about 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender and comes away from the bone. Serve in bowls with the cooking juices and polenta.

TOASTED PANETTONE WITH BAROLO POACHED PEARS

You can cook the pears the day before and re-heat them on Christmas Day.

SERVES 4
Barolo wine (or a Piedmont wine such as Barbera) 400ml
lemon rind (unwaxed) 2 strips
orange rind (unwaxed) 2 strips
cloves 2
bay leaf 1
caster sugar 200g
ripe pears such as Williams - do not peel just wash, then cut in half 2
panettone 4 slices, to serve
mascarpone or vanilla ice cream

Add all the ingredients, except the pears and panettone, and 180ml water to a pan that will hold the fruit. Bring slowly to the boil and stir to dissolve the sugar, then boil for 15 minutes. Lower the heat, add the pear halves, and simmer for about 30 minutes until the pears are tender – when you can pierce them easily with a knife. Keep the liquid for later. Chill the pears and re-heat in the liquid.

Toast 4 slices of panettone and place on four plates, add 1 piece of hot pear on top and ladle over a little hot poaching liquid. Serve with mascarpone or ice cream.